Converted to Islam for Marriage, Left the Industry at Age 23... The Story of 'Wanted Girl' Ayesha Takia

You surely remember Ayesha Takia, who made her Bollywood debut with the film 'Taarzan: The Wonder Car'. Ayesha began her acting career at the tender age of just 13. The actress appeared in numerous television commercials.

She initially started her career in modeling. However, Ayesha often garnered more attention for controversies than for her films. Ayesha first appeared as a child actor alongside Shahid Kapoor in a Complan commercial. She also worked for the Disney Channel, where she earned a monthly stipend of ₹8,000.

Appeared in Several Music Videos

Subsequently, in the year 2000, Ayesha appeared in the music video for Falguni Pathak's song "Meri Chunar Udd Udd Jaye," which catapulted her to fame. Following this, she appeared in other music videos such as "Shake It Daddy" and "Nahin Nahin Abhi Nahin." It was at this juncture that Ayesha began receiving offers from Bollywood.

Left the Industry for Marriage

In 2004, Ayesha was offered Abbas-Mustan's supernatural action-thriller film, 'Taarzan: The Wonder Car'. Although the film was a box-office flop, her exceptional acting and glamorous screen presence earned her both the Filmfare Award and the IIFA Award for Best Female Debut. The 2009 film 'Wanted', starring Salman Khan, proved to be a turning point in her career within the industry. It remains the biggest hit of Ayesha's career. Two years later, following the release of the 2011 film *Mod*, Ayesha abruptly left the film industry.

Apart from these, Ayesha Takia has acted in films such as 'Dil Maange More', 'Socha Na Tha', 'Shaadi No. 1', 'Dor', and 'Wanted' (alongside Salman Khan). In 2009, Ayesha married Farhan Azmi, the son of politician Abu Azmi. For the sake of her marriage, Ayesha converted to Islam and stepped away from films. She has a son named Mikail.